Islamic State fighters withdrew from frontlines with Syrian rebel forces north of Aleppo today as they mounted a counter attack against the jihadist group near the Turkish border, an opposition source and monitoring group said. 
 
The sudden withdrawal from villages around the rebel-held town of Marea points to the pressure Islamic State is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. 
 
Islamic State had managed to besiege the rebel-held town of Marea in a significant advance late last month, stranding thousands of civilians there and prompting a US-led coalition to air drop weapons to rebels, rebel sources said. 
 
Rebel fighters in Marea broke the siege today when they captured the village of Kafr Kalbin on the road linking Marea with Azaz, 20 km (12 miles) to the northwest at the border with Turkey. The advance was preceded by a rebel statement saying they were uniting their ranks. 
 
&quot;It seems they (IS) can&#39;t keep several fronts open at the same time. It is a strategic area, they were on the verge of entering Azaz,&quot; observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. The opposition source said Islamic State had withdrawn from the area quickly, and Free Syrian Army(FSA) factions had filled the void. 
 
FSA rebels fighting Islamic State north of Aleppo have received military assistance from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
Their battle with Islamic State is separate to one being waged further east by a US-backed group, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish Yek?ney?n Parastina Gel&lrm;(YPG) militia. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, has also advanced against Islamic State since last week. 
 
The FSA rebels are fighting separate conflicts with both the SDF and Assad, their main enemy.

Withdrawal points to the pressure IS is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east

Islamic State fighters withdrew from frontlines with Syrian rebel forces north of Aleppo today as they mounted a counter attack against the jihadist group near the Turkish border, an opposition source and monitoring group said. The sudden withdrawal from villages around the rebel-held town of Marea points to the pressure Islamic State is feeling from offensives being waged by other enemies further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Islamic State had managed to besiege the rebel-held town of Marea in a significant advance late last month, stranding thousands of civilians there and prompting a US-led coalition to air drop weapons to rebels, rebel sources said. Rebel fighters in Marea broke the siege today when they captured the village of Kafr Kalbin on the road linking Marea with Azaz, 20 km (12 miles) to the northwest at the border with Turkey. The advance was preceded by a rebel statement saying they were uniting their ranks. "It seems they (IS) can't keep several fronts open at the same time. It is a strategic area, they were on the verge of entering Azaz," observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. The opposition source said Islamic State had withdrawn from the area quickly, and Free Syrian Army(FSA) factions had filled the void. FSA rebels fighting Islamic State north of Aleppo have received military assistance from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. Their battle with Islamic State is separate to one being waged further east by a US-backed group, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish Yek?ney?n Parastina Gel‎(YPG) militia. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, has also advanced against Islamic State since last week. The FSA rebels are fighting separate conflicts with both the SDF and Assad, their main enemy.

Islamic State withdraws from northwest Syria frontlines

At least 23 people were killed in Russian air strikes overnight in the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, the heaviest bombardment there since a cessation of hostilities was agreed in February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said the air strikes targeted a number of positions in the city, one of them next to a hospital. Seven children were among the dead, Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said. The toll was likely to rise.

Idlib is a stronghold of rebel groups including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Idlib death toll climbs after Russian airstrike

At least 23 people were killed in Russian air strikes overnight in the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, the heaviest bombardment there since a cessation of hostilities was agreed in February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory said the air strikes targeted a number of positions in the city, one of them next to a hospital. Seven children were among the dead, Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said. The toll was likely to rise. Idlib is a stronghold of rebel groups including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Death toll from Russian air strikes in Idlib climbs to 23

Turkey is offering to &quot;join forces&quot; with Washington for a special operation inside Syria on condition it doesn`t include a Syrian Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara but seen as an ally by the US, the foreign minister said. 
Washington`s support of Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against Islamic State jihadists has angered Ankara, especially after AFP pictures last week revealed US commandos sporting patches of the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) detested by Turkey. 
&quot;If we join forces, they (the US) have their own special forces and we have our special forces,&quot; Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. 
Such a coalition could &quot;easily&quot; head to IS` de facto capital in Raqa to the south in a second front, he said. 
There was no immediate reaction to the proposal from the United States, whose strategy for fighting jihadists inside Syria is pinned on its alliance with the &nbsp;Syrian Kurds. 
The US is supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters-- the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-- as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS. 
But the SDF is still dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three decade insurgency against the Turkish state. 
Cavusoglu said Syrian Arab opposition forces opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad could be backed up with special forces from Turkey, the United States as well as from France, Britain and Germany. 
&quot;The subject we are discussing with the Americans is the closure of the Manbij pocket as soon as possible... and the opening of a second front,&quot; Cavusoglu said, referring to a backdoor border route favoured by IS for smuggling jihadists into and out of Syria. 
&quot;We say okay, a second front should be opened but not with the PYD,&quot; he said, referring to the Democratic Union Party, the YPG`s political wing.&nbsp;&quot;Unfortunately, both Russia and the United States see a terrorist organisation as a partner and support it,&quot; he added. 
In Ankara, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus declined to comment on details of any operation, but said Turkey placed top priority on protecting a line stretching between Syria`s flashpoint towns of Marea and Jarablus. 
&quot;Turkey is determined whatever is needed to protect the line from terrorist groups,&quot; he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting.The dispute over the role of the YPG has proved a major bone of contention in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the weekend accused the US of dishonesty. 
Cavusoglu lamented the delay in the delivery of American light multiple rocket launchers to be deployed along its border with Syria to combat IS. 
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was supposed to be deployed along the Turkish border by the end of May, but Cavusoglu said it would now only happen in August. 
&quot;The United States is unfortunately not keeping its promise,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We are completely ready. Not us, but the US is responsible for the delay,&quot; he added. 
The system would allow Turkey to hit IS positions within a 90-kilometre (56-mile) range, while Turkish artillery has a more limited range of 40 kilometres. 
Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group. 
Cavusoglu said US support for YPG was &quot;very dangerous&quot; for the future of Syria. 
Asked if could have implications for the US use of Incirlik, he replied: &quot;The United States is our NATO ally, model partner. To be honest, we don`t want the business to reach that stage.&quot;

With support from Turkey and the US-led coalition, rebels in the northern province of Aleppo have been fighting for months to clear the Islamic State (IS) from the Aleppo countryside.

Turkey is offering to "join forces" with Washington for a special operation inside Syria on condition it doesn`t include a Syrian Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara but seen as an ally by the US, the foreign minister said. Washington`s support of Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against Islamic State jihadists has angered Ankara, especially after AFP pictures last week revealed US commandos sporting patches of the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) detested by Turkey. "If we join forces, they (the US) have their own special forces and we have our special forces," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. Such a coalition could "easily" head to IS` de facto capital in Raqa to the south in a second front, he said. There was no immediate reaction to the proposal from the United States, whose strategy for fighting jihadists inside Syria is pinned on its alliance with the Syrian Kurds. The US is supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters-- the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-- as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS. But the SDF is still dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three decade insurgency against the Turkish state. Cavusoglu said Syrian Arab opposition forces opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad could be backed up with special forces from Turkey, the United States as well as from France, Britain and Germany. "The subject we are discussing with the Americans is the closure of the Manbij pocket as soon as possible... and the opening of a second front," Cavusoglu said, referring to a backdoor border route favoured by IS for smuggling jihadists into and out of Syria. "We say okay, a second front should be opened but not with the PYD," he said, referring to the Democratic Union Party, the YPG`s political wing. "Unfortunately, both Russia and the United States see a terrorist organisation as a partner and support it," he added. In Ankara, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus declined to comment on details of any operation, but said Turkey placed top priority on protecting a line stretching between Syria`s flashpoint towns of Marea and Jarablus. "Turkey is determined whatever is needed to protect the line from terrorist groups," he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting.The dispute over the role of the YPG has proved a major bone of contention in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the weekend accused the US of dishonesty. Cavusoglu lamented the delay in the delivery of American light multiple rocket launchers to be deployed along its border with Syria to combat IS. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was supposed to be deployed along the Turkish border by the end of May, but Cavusoglu said it would now only happen in August. "The United States is unfortunately not keeping its promise," he said. "We are completely ready. Not us, but the US is responsible for the delay," he added. The system would allow Turkey to hit IS positions within a 90-kilometre (56-mile) range, while Turkish artillery has a more limited range of 40 kilometres. Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group. Cavusoglu said US support for YPG was "very dangerous" for the future of Syria. Asked if could have implications for the US use of Incirlik, he replied: "The United States is our NATO ally, model partner. To be honest, we don`t want the business to reach that stage."

Turkey offers US joint Syria operation, without the Kurds

In a city whose windows have been blasted from their frames, remaining residents of Syria`s war-torn Aleppo go about their daily lives behind gaping holes covered with plastic. 
 
For inhabitants of the battle-scarred and divided city, glass windows have become more of a liability than a luxury. 
 
&quot;Every window pane we have has been shattered by shelling,&quot; said Ammar Wattar, an English teacher, as he fitted a hard plastic sheet into the window frame of his home in the government-held district of Al-Midan. 
&quot;We changed it the first time, then the second time, the third time -- until this time, we decided not to change it anymore.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The windows are regularly blown out in the frequent rocket attacks and air strikes on Aleppo city, turning the shards into dangerous projectiles.&nbsp; 
 
Replacing them is also prohibitively expensive - so residents have been opting to cover the empty frames with sheets of plastic.&nbsp; 
In many neighbourhoods, children can be seen slipping behind white tarpaulin hanging like curtains from the doorways of their apartments.&nbsp; 
Abandoned apartment buildings are often identified by the partly-smashed glass windows protruding like jagged teeth from the metal frames. 
 
Clashes and bombardment have carried on in Aleppo despite a February 27 truce across parts of Syria and multiple attempts to secure a local freeze on fighting in the city. 
 
Asraa al-Masri, a teacher in a regime-held district of the city, said a shard of glass flew into her daughter`s leg during a rocket attack.&nbsp; 
She has since stopped replacing her windows with glass, but she now faces a new set of worries.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Bugs, dust, soot, loud noises, the burning smell of the generators, which are bad for your health and negatively affect our children while they`re studying,&quot; she listed.&nbsp; 
 
Perhaps no one has seen as much shattered glass as Mohammed Bouz, who used to sell it in a shop in Al-Midan. 
&quot;My stockpile has been destroyed many times during the shelling, and I haven`t been able to get new deliveries,&quot; he told AFP. 
Before Syria`s war erupted in March 2011, a square metre of glass cost 425 Syrian pounds (70 cents) -- but it now fetches about 3,300 ($6).&nbsp; 
 
Aleppo`s desperate residents -- many of whom have been left jobless since war came to their city in 2012 -- opt for the much cheaper plastic at a maximum of 500 Syrian pounds per square metre.&nbsp; 
 
But for Umm Ahmad`s conservative Muslim family, no proper windows means no privacy. 
Synthetic canvas billows in the wind, &quot;so my daughters and I can only change our clothes in the bathroom or in the hallways so our neighbours don`t see us&quot;, the 52-year-old woman said. 
 
Privacy &quot;is something really sacred for Aleppan families&quot;. 
 
Across the frontline in Aleppo`s rebel-held east, shopkeeper Ali Makansi recounts sitting in his grocery store one day &quot;when a mortar shell crashed into the roof of a nearby building&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Because the explosion was so powerful, an entire window pane fell on me and cut the main nerve in my hand,&quot; said the 32-year-old whose shop is in the Al-Shaar neighbourhood. 
&quot;All the houses and commercial buildings in Aleppo are using plastic now instead of glass,&quot; he said. &quot;Plastic is cheap and won`t hurt anyone if there`s an explosion nearby.&quot; 
 
Mohammed Jokhdar, a 29-year-old Arabic language teacher, sent his family to Turkey after his brother was killed in shelling last year.&nbsp; 
He lives alone in his apartment in Bustan al-Qasr district where he has covered the windows with sheets of transparent plastic.&nbsp; 
&quot;But the plastic doesn`t protect from the weather and sometimes water leaks through. It doesn`t block the noise either -- I feel like I`m in the street.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Abu Omar, 69, who lives in Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood, also complains about the noise and water leaks. 
But &quot;the biggest problem is the street cats... They tear the plastic and come into my home looking for food.&quot;

In a city whose windows have been blasted from their frames, remaining residents of Syria`s war-torn Aleppo go about their daily lives behind gaping holes covered with plastic. For inhabitants of the battle-scarred and divided city, glass windows have become more of a liability than a luxury.

In a city whose windows have been blasted from their frames, remaining residents of Syria`s war-torn Aleppo go about their daily lives behind gaping holes covered with plastic. For inhabitants of the battle-scarred and divided city, glass windows have become more of a liability than a luxury. "Every window pane we have has been shattered by shelling," said Ammar Wattar, an English teacher, as he fitted a hard plastic sheet into the window frame of his home in the government-held district of Al-Midan. "We changed it the first time, then the second time, the third time -- until this time, we decided not to change it anymore." The windows are regularly blown out in the frequent rocket attacks and air strikes on Aleppo city, turning the shards into dangerous projectiles. Replacing them is also prohibitively expensive - so residents have been opting to cover the empty frames with sheets of plastic. In many neighbourhoods, children can be seen slipping behind white tarpaulin hanging like curtains from the doorways of their apartments. Abandoned apartment buildings are often identified by the partly-smashed glass windows protruding like jagged teeth from the metal frames. Clashes and bombardment have carried on in Aleppo despite a February 27 truce across parts of Syria and multiple attempts to secure a local freeze on fighting in the city. Asraa al-Masri, a teacher in a regime-held district of the city, said a shard of glass flew into her daughter`s leg during a rocket attack. She has since stopped replacing her windows with glass, but she now faces a new set of worries. "Bugs, dust, soot, loud noises, the burning smell of the generators, which are bad for your health and negatively affect our children while they`re studying," she listed. Perhaps no one has seen as much shattered glass as Mohammed Bouz, who used to sell it in a shop in Al-Midan. "My stockpile has been destroyed many times during the shelling, and I haven`t been able to get new deliveries," he told AFP. Before Syria`s war erupted in March 2011, a square metre of glass cost 425 Syrian pounds (70 cents) -- but it now fetches about 3,300 ($6). Aleppo`s desperate residents -- many of whom have been left jobless since war came to their city in 2012 -- opt for the much cheaper plastic at a maximum of 500 Syrian pounds per square metre. But for Umm Ahmad`s conservative Muslim family, no proper windows means no privacy. Synthetic canvas billows in the wind, "so my daughters and I can only change our clothes in the bathroom or in the hallways so our neighbours don`t see us", the 52-year-old woman said. Privacy "is something really sacred for Aleppan families". Across the frontline in Aleppo`s rebel-held east, shopkeeper Ali Makansi recounts sitting in his grocery store one day "when a mortar shell crashed into the roof of a nearby building". "Because the explosion was so powerful, an entire window pane fell on me and cut the main nerve in my hand," said the 32-year-old whose shop is in the Al-Shaar neighbourhood. "All the houses and commercial buildings in Aleppo are using plastic now instead of glass," he said. "Plastic is cheap and won`t hurt anyone if there`s an explosion nearby." Mohammed Jokhdar, a 29-year-old Arabic language teacher, sent his family to Turkey after his brother was killed in shelling last year. He lives alone in his apartment in Bustan al-Qasr district where he has covered the windows with sheets of transparent plastic. "But the plastic doesn`t protect from the weather and sometimes water leaks through. It doesn`t block the noise either -- I feel like I`m in the street." Abu Omar, 69, who lives in Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood, also complains about the noise and water leaks. But "the biggest problem is the street cats... They tear the plastic and come into my home looking for food."

Life behind plastic in Syria`s window-less city

&nbsp;Fourteen government soldiers were killed on Sunday in a push to retake a southern Yemeni city from the Iran-allied Houthi group in one of the deadliest days since a shaky ceasefire tentatively took hold last month, military officials said.

Yemen&#39;s exiled government has been fighting a war backed by Saudi-led air strikes and ground forces to win back the capital of Sanaa from the Houthis, whom it views as a proxy of Tehran.

Backed up by local tribes and militias, army forces attacked the city of Beihan in southeastern Shabwa province which sits on a main road leading to Sanaa some 100 km (62 miles) away.

Military and local officials said several fighters on the Houthi side were killed and injured in the battle adding that government forces were advancing deeper into the town.

The Shi&#39;ite Muslim Houthis, who took power in late 2014, deny they are puppets of Iran and say their armed fight is a revolution against corruption officials.

Home to Yemen&#39;s largest industrial project, a now-shut liquefied natural gas export facility at Belhaf, Shabwa is divided among Al-Qaeda, government troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Houthi forces and armed tribes.

Clashes have repeatedly broken out there between Houthi and pro-Hadi forces despite a ceasefire which began on April 10, which has mostly stopped fighting and buttressed weeks of inconclusive U.N.-backed peace talks in Kuwait.

Clashes between the Houthi group--the Shi'ite rebels-- and pro-Hadi forces broke out in an attempt to retake the southern Yemeni city from the former.

Fourteen government soldiers were killed on Sunday in a push to retake a southern Yemeni city from the Iran-allied Houthi group in one of the deadliest days since a shaky ceasefire tentatively took hold last month, military officials said. Yemen's exiled government has been fighting a war backed by Saudi-led air strikes and ground forces to win back the capital of Sanaa from the Houthis, whom it views as a proxy of Tehran. Backed up by local tribes and militias, army forces attacked the city of Beihan in southeastern Shabwa province which sits on a main road leading to Sanaa some 100 km (62 miles) away. Military and local officials said several fighters on the Houthi side were killed and injured in the battle adding that government forces were advancing deeper into the town. The Shi'ite Muslim Houthis, who took power in late 2014, deny they are puppets of Iran and say their armed fight is a revolution against corruption officials. Home to Yemen's largest industrial project, a now-shut liquefied natural gas export facility at Belhaf, Shabwa is divided among Al-Qaeda, government troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Houthi forces and armed tribes. Clashes have repeatedly broken out there between Houthi and pro-Hadi forces despite a ceasefire which began on April 10, which has mostly stopped fighting and buttressed weeks of inconclusive U.N.-backed peace talks in Kuwait.

Fourteen soldiers killed in Southern Yemen clashes

The Japanese government said today that&nbsp;it was doing all it could to secure the release of a Japanese journalist being held hostage by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, after an apparent photograph of the man was posted on the Internet.

The photograph, apparently uploaded to the Internet late on Sunday, showed a bearded man dressed in orange holding a hand-written sign in Japanese.

&quot;Please help me. This is my last chance,&quot; said the sign, written in shaky characters and signed &quot;Jumpei Yasuda.&quot;

Yasuda&#39;s plight came to attention in March, when a video surfaced showing him reading a message to his country and his family. Japanese media said he was capture by a group called Nusra Front after entering Syria from Turkey last June.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was analysing the new photo and believed it was Yasuda, while Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the government was doing what it could.

&quot;Since preserving the safety of Japanese citizens is our most important duty, we are making use of a broad net of information and doing everything we can to respond,&quot; Suga told a news conference.

Asked if this meant contacting the Nusra Front, Suga said &quot;that sort of thing was included&quot; but declined to give further details.

Early in 2015, the Islamic State militant group beheaded two Japanese nationals - a self-styled security consultant and a veteran war reporter. The gruesome executions captured the attention of Japan but the government at that time had said that&nbsp;it would not negotiate with the militants for their release.

Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003, was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism for drawing the Japanese government into negotiations for his release.

In December, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders retracted and apologized for a report it had issued that said Yasuda had been threatened with execution in Syria. The government said at the time it was seeking information.

Jumpei Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003 has been held captive in Baghdad since 2004. He had earlier pleaded for help by reading a message to his family in a video. The Japanese government is saying it is doing its best to get the victim released.

The Japanese government said today that it was doing all it could to secure the release of a Japanese journalist being held hostage by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, after an apparent photograph of the man was posted on the Internet. The photograph, apparently uploaded to the Internet late on Sunday, showed a bearded man dressed in orange holding a hand-written sign in Japanese. "Please help me. This is my last chance," said the sign, written in shaky characters and signed "Jumpei Yasuda." Yasuda's plight came to attention in March, when a video surfaced showing him reading a message to his country and his family. Japanese media said he was capture by a group called Nusra Front after entering Syria from Turkey last June. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was analysing the new photo and believed it was Yasuda, while Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the government was doing what it could. "Since preserving the safety of Japanese citizens is our most important duty, we are making use of a broad net of information and doing everything we can to respond," Suga told a news conference. Asked if this meant contacting the Nusra Front, Suga said "that sort of thing was included" but declined to give further details. Early in 2015, the Islamic State militant group beheaded two Japanese nationals - a self-styled security consultant and a veteran war reporter. The gruesome executions captured the attention of Japan but the government at that time had said that it would not negotiate with the militants for their release. Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003, was held in Baghdad in 2004 and drew criticism for drawing the Japanese government into negotiations for his release. In December, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders retracted and apologized for a report it had issued that said Yasuda had been threatened with execution in Syria. The government said at the time it was seeking information.

New photo of Japanese hostage in Syria appears, message reads "Please Help"

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route. 
&quot;Heavy clashes took place overnight between IS fighters and rebels inside the walls of Marea town,&quot; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
IS swept through rebel-held territory early Friday in a shock offensive in Aleppo province, cutting off the main road between Marea and Azaz, 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the northeast near the Turkish border.&nbsp; 
The surprise advance came as the jihadist group faced an offensive by a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance in its own heartland of Raqa province further east. 
Maamoun Khateeb, a journalist and activist from Azaz, told AFP that IS attacked Marea early Saturday mainly from the east and north using tanks and two car bombs. 
The advance has besieged around 15,000 residents remaining inside Marea, he said.&nbsp; 
Human rights groups have warned that the IS advance in Aleppo has left tens of thousands of displaced Syrians trapped along the closed Turkish border. 
To the east in Raqa province, warplanes from the US-led coalition conducted air strikes on IS positions north of Raqa city, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. 
But the Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting the jihadist group north of its de facto Syrian capital had made no strategic progress on the ground, he said. 
Syria`s war has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route.

Heavy fighting between the Islamic State group and rebels gripped a town in northeastern Syria Saturday, a monitor and an activist said, after a lightning assault by the jihadists cut a main supply route. "Heavy clashes took place overnight between IS fighters and rebels inside the walls of Marea town," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IS swept through rebel-held territory early Friday in a shock offensive in Aleppo province, cutting off the main road between Marea and Azaz, 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the northeast near the Turkish border. The surprise advance came as the jihadist group faced an offensive by a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance in its own heartland of Raqa province further east. Maamoun Khateeb, a journalist and activist from Azaz, told AFP that IS attacked Marea early Saturday mainly from the east and north using tanks and two car bombs. The advance has besieged around 15,000 residents remaining inside Marea, he said. Human rights groups have warned that the IS advance in Aleppo has left tens of thousands of displaced Syrians trapped along the closed Turkish border. To the east in Raqa province, warplanes from the US-led coalition conducted air strikes on IS positions north of Raqa city, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. But the Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting the jihadist group north of its de facto Syrian capital had made no strategic progress on the ground, he said. Syria`s war has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

IS-rebel clashes rock northeast Syria town

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